MiamiCuse wrote:
I have a 40 year old cast iron sewer line and there is a cleanout in
the middle of my concrete driveway.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...umbing/CO2.jpg

I believe it is a two way cleanout (with two openings) like this:

http://www.abifoundry.com/images/SV_...y_Cleanout.gif

However, it obviously has not been opened for ages, and it obviously
was cemented over last time the driveway was redone however many
years ago.
I need to open it up for drain cleaning and video inspection
purposes, and I could not figure out how to open it.

A close up:

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...g/P1020896.jpg

Even closer on one of them:

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...g/P1020895.jpg

The cement has to be quite thin considering if you look close enough,
you can actually see the metal rim flushed with the concrete
driveway, although it is surprising that the rim is so thin...

My assumption is that right underneath this thin layer of cement is a
cast iron or brass plug I can unscrew and open the access to the
pipe. My worry is the plug threads may be corroded or stuck...but I
can't even get to the first base.

I took a chisel and hammer and banged on the concrete inside the
circles, I chipped off some concrete bits. I banged on it more, the
concrete did NOT just shattered away and expose the metal plug, it
almost felt like this concrete is much deeper.

I don't want to keep hammering at it because it will certainly ruin
the metal plug thread or wedge it tight if I over do it.

I now wonder if I am not looking at brass plugs. Is it possible that
there is no plug? That the pipes were "sawed off" flushed with the
concrete driveway and they stuffed some newspaper or whatever to plug
the holes without dropping to the bottom, then pour concrete in that
space?
How do I open this up without being totally destructive? If there is
nothing there and I break things loose, it will drop to the bottom of
the pipe for sure.

My next step is to dry a masonry bit and drill down the middle and
see how far it goes, but I thought I will post this here and get a
few pointers first.


Time for a bizarre suggestion:

Drill a hole and insert an expansion bolt. Attach one end of a chain to the
bolt and the other to a bumper jack. Yank out the concrete plug.

Well, I said it was bizarre...